Justin Thomas completes banner season as PGA of America Player of the Year

Reigning PGA Champion Justin Thomas capped a five-victory season by earning his first PGA of America Player of the Year Award.

Open Champion Jordan Spieth, who finished runner-up to Thomas, won his second Vardon Trophy in three years. The PGA Player of the Year and Vardon Trophy are the season-ending awards presented by the PGA of America for excellence by a PGA TOUR professional.

Thomas, who earned the Fedex Cup in just his third season on the PGA TOUR, finished No. 1 in season money earnings with a runner-up performance in Sunday’s TOUR Championship. He closed the PGA Player of the Year race with 106 total points. Spieth, who tied for seventh in the TOUR Championship, earned 88 total points. Dustin Johnson was third with 66, followed by Hideki Matsuyama with 56 and Marc Leishman with 44.

Johnson won four times this season, while Matsuyama and Spieth each had three victories.

Since 1948, the PGA of America has honored the game’s best players with the PGA Player of the Year Award. It is presented to the top TOUR professional based on a point system for tournament wins, official money standings, and scoring averages. Points for the 2016-17 season began with the Safeway Open on Oct. 16, and concluded Sept. 24, at the TOUR Championship.

Spieth, who previously won the Vardon Trophy in 2015, posted a 68.846 adjusted scoring average based upon 85 complete rounds. Rickie Fowler was runner-up at 69.083; Thomas third (69.359); Leishman fourth (69.468); and Paul Casey fifth (69.469).

Since 1937, the PGA of America has presented the Vardon Trophy, in honor of legendary British golfer Harry Vardon to the touring professional with the lowest scoring average. Since 1988, it has been awarded to the player with the lowest adjusted scoring average. It is based on a minimum of 60 rounds, with no incomplete rounds, in events co-sponsored or designated by the PGA TOUR. The adjusted score is computed from the average score of the field at each event.

The PGA TOUR also recognizes its annual Player of the Year, with the winner announced in early October, determined by a vote of the membership.

For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGAMediaCenter.com, follow @PGAofAmerica on Twitter and find us on Facebook.

Final 2017 PGA Player of the Year Standings

Player

Victory points

Money points

Scoring points

Total points

1. Justin Thomas

70

20

16

106

2. Jordan Spieth

50

18

20

88

3. Dustin Johnson

40

16

10

66

4. Hideki Matsuyama

30

14

12

56

5. Marc Leishman

20

8

16

44

6. Rickie Fowler

10

10

18

38

7. Brooks Koepka

30

6

N/A

36

8. Sergio Garcia

30

N/A

4

34

9. Jon Rahm

10

12

6

28

10. Si Woo Kim

20

N/A

N/A

20

Final 2017 Vardon Trophy Standings

Player

Rounds

Adjusted scoring average

Jordan Spieth

85

68.846

Rickie Fowler

78

69.083

Justin Thomas

86

69.359

Marc Leishman

94

69.468

Paul Casey

94

69.469

Dustin Johnson

77

69.549

Jon Rahm

90

69.561

Sergio Garcia

65

69.596

Hideki Matsuyama

83

69.624

Justin Rose

66

69.699

Points are distributed based upon the following:

A) Tournament victories

Points

PGA Championship

30

U.S. Open

30

Open Championship

30

Masters

30

The Players Championship

20

All other PGA TOUR and WGC events

10

B) PGA Tour official money list

Points

1st

20

2nd

18

3rd

16

4th

14

5th

12

6th

10

7th

8

8th

6

9th

4

10th

2

C) Adj. scoring average: min. 60 rounds

Points

1st

20

2nd

18

3rd

16

4th

14

5th

12

6th

10

7th

8

8th

6

9th

4

10th

2

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